The present invention relates to vehicle transmissions and, more particularly, to a receiving mechanism on the vehicle steering column coupled with the ignition system of the vehicle to associate with a vehicle interlock system for locking the transmission in a park position when the ignition system of the vehicle is locked.
In vehicles having automatic transmissions with gearshift lever assemblies mounted on the vehicle's floor, it is desirable to have a device which is associated with the ignition system of the vehicle so that when the ignition is locked, the gearshift lever is locked in a park position. Relevant art illustrating various types of transmission shifters with park lock devices are illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. No.: 4,724,722, issued Feb. 16, 1988 to Beauch et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,397, issued Dec. 15, 1987 to Niskanen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,085, issued June 9, 1987 to Yamaguchi et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,085, issued Oct. 2, 1984 to DeVogelaere et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,112, issued Dec. 8, 1981 to Osborn; U.S. Pat. NO. 4,270,624, issued June 2, 1981 to Jessop; and U.S. Pat. NO. 4,235,123, issued Nov. 25, 1980 to Simancik et al. While the above described patents appear to perform satisfactorily, designers are always striving to improve the art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide the art with a new and improved gearshift park interlock system. A new and improved gearshift lever assembly is provided by the present invention. A receiving device mounted on the steering column to associate with the ignition system is also disclosed. The present invention provides the art with a relatively simple, inexpensive interlock mechanism. The gearshift lever assembly disclosed substantially eliminates lost motion. A fail safe system to indicate if the linkage is broken between the column mounted receiving device and the gearshift lever assembly is also provided by the present invention. Further, the present invention provides a gearshift lever assembly and a steering column receiving device which are readily adapted to be secure to the floor and column of the vehicle, respectively, and which are adjusted and adapted to operating conditions after positioning on the floor and column.
From the subsequent detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims, other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.